Ballast system for locomotives



April 19, 1949. c. K. STEINS BALLAST SYSTEM FOR LOCOMOTIVES Filed March25, 1946 Patented Apr. 19, 1949 BALLAST SYSTEM FOR LOCOMOTIVES CarletonK. Steins, Merion, Pa., assignor to The Pennsylvania Railroad Company,Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application March 25,1946, Serial No. 656,911

This invention relates to locomotives, and has reference moreparticularly to steam locomotives of the type disclosed in U. S. PatentNo. 2,- 338,212 granted to me on July 4, 1944. In this patentedlocomotive the fuel is carried in a compartment at the front end of thelocomotive body,

3 Claims. (Cl. 105-73) ing wheels of the rear truck, the load onthebetween a ballast compartment in the fuel carrying end of the locomotiveand a Water storage compartment in a coupled tender, and a pump withvalve means and controls whereby ballast water may be transferred in onedirection from the tender to the ballast water compartment on alocomotive from time to time as may be required to compensate for theweight loss there due to fuel consumption, and whereby at other timeswhen the locomotive is being re-fueled, the

flow may be reversed to return water from the ballast compartment on thelocomotive to the tender.

Other objects and attendant advantages will appear from the followingdetailed description of the attached drawings, wherein- Fig. 1 is a viewin side elevation of a locomotive with a ballast system convenientlyembodying my invention.

Figs. 2 and 3 are cross sectional views respectively of the locomotiveand its tender taken as indicated respectively by the angled arrows IIIIand IlI[III in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view in side elevation drawn to a larger scaleand showing certain details of the pump and control means employed; and,

Fig. 5 is a view corresponding to Fig. 4 showing an alternativeembodiment of my invention.

The locomotive herein illustrated has an elongate body It with a fuelcompartment H at the front end, and with a horizontally arranged boilerl3 at the rear end. Between the fuel compartment H and the forward orfire box end I5 of the boiler i3 is a space or cab It for the enginecrew. The body I0 is supported at opposite ends by trucks I1 and I8which underly the fuel compartment ll and the boiler l3, and which, itis to be understood, are pivoted for independent swivelling movement tothe body. It is moreover to be understood that the trucks I1 and I8 areseparately powered after the manner disclosed in Patent No; 2,338,212previously referred to herein and have associated with them smallerindividual leading guide trucks l9 and 20. Coupled with the locomotiveat the rear end is a tender 2| with a storage compartment 22 for water.

In carrying out my invention I provide the locomotive at the front endof its body with ballast water compartments 24, one at each side of thefuel compartment II. To these Water compartments 24 are connectedbranches of a conduit 25 which extends rearwardly to the tender 2| asshown in Fig. 1, where it, is connected to the water compartment in thelatter. Interposed in the conduit 25, as 'best shown in Fig. 4, are twoby-passes 21 and 28, a unidirectional rotary pump 29 and a number ofhand valves 30, 3|, 32 and 33. The pump is arranged to be driven by aturbine indicated at 35 which is supplied with steam from the boiler l3through a pipe 36 under control of a hand valve 31. The parts justdescribed are all preferably located in the cab so as to be convenientlyaccessible to the engine crew.-

" Operation With the construction shown in Figs. 1-4, compensation canbe made from time to time by the 46 engine crew for the decrease inweight on the:

driving wheels of the forward powered truck I! due to fuel consumption,so that a substantially uniform load may be maintained on said driverscommensurate with the fixed load on the drivers of the powered reartruck to prevent wheel slippage. This is accomplished by closing thevalves- 30 and 33 and opening the valves 3| and 32 and then starting thepump 29. Under these conditions, water will be drawn from the tender 2|and. delivered to the ballast tanks 24 on the locomotive, the flow beingthen as indicated by the full line arrows in Fig. 4. Upon transfer ofthe necessary amount of the water (which may be determined by a depthgauge, not illustrated) to the ballast compartments 24, the pump 29 isstopped and the valves 3| and 32 closed until another compensatingoperation is required, which is effected by repetition of the aboveprocedure. When the fuel storage compartment II on the locomotive isbeing subsequently recharged, the ballast water may be returned to thetender from the ballast water compartments 24 by keeping the valves 3|and 32 closed, opening the valves and 33, and their starting the pump29, when the flow: will be as;irugiicated;by the dotted arrows in Fig.4, i. e. clockwise through the by-pass 28, then through the pump 29,andi then counter-clockwise through the by-pass 21.

In the alternative embodiment of'fmyinvention shown in Fig. 5, separaterotary-pumpsiaaand,

39 respectively are interposedin, the Icy-P3556815;

21 and 28a together with hand valves; li and? 32a, the pump turbines35a,and being oppor sitely rotative and respectively supplied with steamfrom the boiler through pipes 36a:an d;4l; under control of hand valves31a and 4m. Also interposed in. thelay-pass, pipes;2Ja, and, ZBai rcheck valves.42 andfiarespectively. When water is tobe transferred fromthetender to the ballast water compartments 24 on, the locomotive withthis alternative arrangement, the, valve 31a. is opened, the valve-32aclosed'ancltheI pump zfia alone used, when; the flow will be asindicated bythe solidarrows inl-Efig, 5 through the by,-.pass 2]a, withthe check valve 43 acting tocpreyent flow through the lav-pass,- 28a. Onthe, other hand, for transfer of water, fromthe ballast, com; partmentson the, locomotive to the tendcrsthe valve 32a is opened, the valve,3la,closed, andthe pump 39 employed,alone when the flowcvvill be as.indicated by, the, dotted arrows in. Fig, 5 through the bYrPQSSZBG,witha checkvalve 42 preventing flow through the by-pass 2m,

Having thus described myinvcntion, I claim:

1. A ballast system fora, steam, locomotive having a body with afuelzcqmpartmentat one end and a boiler at the other, end, separatelypowered drive whee1trucksupp0r ins. the; ody at opposite endsrespectively, beneath, the fuel compartment and, the, boiler, and acoupled tender with a Waterstorage compartment; aid system including. aWater ballast; compartment on the locomotive in theregionof thefuelcomepartment, a single conduit extending between the tender and said ballastwater, compartment, a y q escent: unidirectional, pump, inter.- posed inthe conduit, meansfor. driving; the pump, by-pass piping incorporated,in, the conduit around the pumnand, valve means forcontrol;- li e hey-pass piping to determine. ire tional flow of the water through theconduit under pro? pulsion of the pumpeitherrfrom the tender to theballast water compartment on the locomotive to compensateforweight-decrease-on t-hedrivers under the f uel compartment as" thefuel is consumed, or from the ballast-watercompartment on the locomotiveto the tender to compensate for weight'increase onthedrivers-underthefuel compartment during re-fueling.

2. A ballast system for a steam locomotive having a body with a fuelcompartment at one end and a. boiler at the other end, separatelypowered drive Wheel trucks supporting the body at opposite endsrespectively beneath the fuel compartment and the boiler, and a coupledtender with a Water storage compartment; said systemincluding a Waterballast compartment on,the locomotive in the region of the fuelcompartment, a single conduit extending between the tender and saidballast water compartment, a normally quiescent uni-directional pumpinterposed in the conduit, means for driving the pump, a, by-pass pipeshunting the pump, another" by-pass pipe extending between the inlet ofthepump, and that end portion of the conduit whichleads from the ballastWater compartment of the boiler,- and valves respectively in thebypasses adapted to be closed to permit pumping of water from the tenderto the locomotive to compensate for, decrease in weight on the truckunder the, fuel compartment due to fuel con,- sumption, and valvesrespectively in the conduit at the inlet and, outlet sides of the pumpadapted to, be closedto permit pumping of water from the ballast water,compartment on, the locomotiveto he, tender, during recharging of thefuel compartment- 3. A ballast system, for a steam locomotive having abody with a fuel compartment. at one end, and a boiler, atv the otherend, separately powered drive wheel trucks supporting the body atopposite ends respectively beneath the fuel compartment and the boiler,and a, coupled tender, with a Water storage compartment; said system,including a, Water ballast compartment on the locomotive in the regionof the fuel com.- partment, a. single conduit extending between thetender, and said ballast Water, compartment, tnorrnally quiescent pumpinterposed in the con.- duit andv adapted to induce flow. fromthe tenderto, the ballast, water, tank onthe locomotive to compensate for decreaseof the weight on the truck, beneath, the fuel compartment as the fuelis. bein consumed, at biz-pass pi e, around the pump, a normallyquiescent reversely operative pump in the by-pass adapted to induce flowfrom the ballastwater tanlconthe locomotive to the tendenandahandvalvein theby-pass adapted to. be closed when the first mentioned pumpis u s,ed,and a hand valve in the conduit adapted tobe closed, when thesecondpump is used.

CARLETON K. STEINS.

REFERENCES CITED The,following references are'of record in, the file ofthis patent:

UNITED 1 STATES- PATENTS Number Name Date 129,231v Hudson July 16, 1872830,046. Bole, Sept. 4, 1906 2,413,119 Steins Dec. 24, 1946

